Tony's Takes Photography

Wildlife, landscape and weather photography

The colors of fall on the forest floor

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A wide variety of colors on the forest floor in the fall. (© Tony’s Takes)
A wide variety of colors on the forest floor in the fall. (© Tony’s Takes)

We had kind of a weird season this year of fall foliage. What started out promising was soon blown and withered away by an early season cold snap and snowfall.

I went to the Colorado high country right before the storm and got some decent pictures but none of the big, sweeping mountainsides of yellow like I hoped.

At one point on Guanella Pass, my daughter and I were out hiking and rather than looking up, I looked down. I kind of liked this shot with all the different colors. A good reminder to look all directions as you never know what you might find.

The golden road for Fall Foliage Friday!

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The sun shines through the golden leaves of aspen trees in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
The sun shines through the golden leaves of aspen trees in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Such a beautiful and peaceful scene my daughter and I came along last week while on our fall colors drive. A quiet dirt road in the Colorado high country with the golden leaves above and the sun bursting through. It was a very peaceful moment as we strolled along just taking it in.

Fall foliage and the Extenuate Mine

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Fall foliage lines the hill of the Extenuate Mine near Breckenridge, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
Fall foliage lines the hill of the Extenuate Mine near Breckenridge, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

One of the better areas of fall colors I found yesterday just east of Breckenridge, Colorado. This was my first time here and it proved to be a nice photo stop. The mine operated from the 1880s into the 1970s where they pulled silver, gold, lead and zinc from the ground.

Looking up at Colorado gold and blue

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Golden aspen and the morning sun shine over Guanella Pass in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
Golden aspen and the morning sun shine over Guanella Pass in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

A beautiful day in the Colorado high country today and well worth spending a day off to go up there. The colors are still a bit hit or miss but there were some worthy spots. This particular pic was taken on Guanella Pass with me lying on my back looking straight up. 😉

Fall foliage of years’ past

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Trees with golden leaves cover the hills while a fresh snow covers the mountains above. (© Tony’s Takes)
Trees with golden leaves cover the hills while a fresh snow covers the mountains above. (© Tony’s Takes)

A stunning scene in the Southpark area on September 24, 2016.

Normally, this is the weekend I would head high into the #mountains and capture golden landscapes like this. Mother Nature had other ideas this year and with our wet winter and spring, the green is holding on a bit longer. It may be a week or two before something like this is repeated.

Hopefully I can be there to capture it.

Fall colors on the Colorado Front Range as seen from the air

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The view on a beautiful fall day along the Colorado Front Range is seen from a drone. (© Tony’s Takes)
The view on a beautiful fall day along the Colorado Front Range is seen from a drone. (© Tony’s Takes)

A bit of an elevated look at some of the color on what was a fantastic day. The leaves were golden, the sky blew and the mountains capped in white snow. My brother got a new drone and he wanted to go out flying and I have rarely used mine so it was a good opportunity to play around. Don’t worry, while the drone stuff is fun, it will never take the place of the types of pics you are used to seeing from me. 😉

Looking down at fall colors along the South Platte River. (© Tony’s Takes)
Looking down at fall colors along the South Platte River. (© Tony’s Takes)
The view on a beautiful fall day along the Colorado Front Range is seen from a drone. (© Tony’s Takes)
The view on a beautiful fall day along the Colorado Front Range is seen from a drone. (© Tony’s Takes)

Tower of gold

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The leaves in Rocky Mountain National Park were a bit of a hit and miss affair this past weekend. While there were spots of gold, they were often interspersed with some trees that hadn’t changed at all. That kept me from capturing the sweeping landscapes of fall foliage that I was hoping for however, closer looks were quite nice.

Such was the case with this little grove of trees that had changed. Looking straight up the trunk of this tree you can see the canopy of yellow and of course those gorgeous, blue Colorado skies.

Get this image here.

Coming soon: fall foliage

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Going back to September 24 of last year for this image for Throwback Thursday. By all indications, our dry summer is leading to an early change of the foliage this year and will likely make the viewing time short. That will complicate things and make my annual goal to capture the spectacle a bit difficult but hopefully luck will prevail.

This image was taken along Colorado’s famous Peak to Peak Highway south of Nederland. About an hour before this image was taken I was standing about 1,000 feet higher in altitude in fresh snow taking picture of wildlife. Here though it was just rain and fog. The fence helped to create interest in the scene as the dreary skies sure weren’t helping.

Fall colors, fog and a fence along Colorado's Peak to Peak Highway. (© Tony’s Takes)
Fall colors, fog and a fence along Colorado’s Peak to Peak Highway. (© Tony’s Takes)

Fall foliage at Leavenworth Creek

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For some reason I didn’t do a very good job of sharing the fall foliage pics I captured a couple of months ago. Here is one to catch up a bit. Taken the third week of September on Guanella Pass in Colorado. It was rainy and overcast but that allowed for some soft, even light. As my son and I descended the pass, we stopped at this popular spot. I setup my tripod, put on a neutral density filter and slowed my shutter speed way down. This allowed the waters of the creek to blur and give them a smooth appearance.

Fall foliage above the waters of Leavenworth Creek near Georgetown, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
Fall foliage above the waters of Leavenworth Creek near Georgetown, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Foggy fall road

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Such a picture-perfect scene showcasing the change of seasons here in Colorado. Taken a few weeks ago when the fall foliage along the Front Range were approaching their peak. The morning started clear but then fog arrived and enveloped the landscape. This road was lined with birch and cottonwood trees and seemed to disappear into nothingness at the end of it. This is probably one of my favorite pics of the fall colors that I captured this year.

Fog and fall foliage along a road on the Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)
Fog and fall foliage along a road on the Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)